Pop songs 'taking over from hymns at funerals'

Traditional attitudes towards death and remembrance appear to be changing with pop songs taking over from hymns at funerals, a survey published today reveals.

It seems a party atmosphere is preferred at many funerals with less than one in four (22 per cent) requesting a religious service.

Songs by Monty Python, Frank Sinatra and Robbie Williams are proving to be the most popular, taking the place of traditional religious hymns such as Abide with Me, The King of Love My Shepherd Is and O God, Our Help in Ages Past.

The survey was commissioned by crematorium operator Westerleigh Group plc and it also revealed that 92 per cent of respondents would prefer their remembrance service to be a celebration of their life rather than a sombre affair.

More than half the British public (55 per cent) want a party in their honour.

The most popular songs requested to be played in remembrance were: Robbie Williams' Angels followed by the Monty Python song Always Look On The Bright Side of Life. My Way by Frank Sinatra was third. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler was fourth and the You'll Never Walk Alone anthem much beloved by Liverpool FC fans was fifth.

Others requests included - Simply the Best, Another One Bites the Dust and Je Ne Regrette Rien.

The nationwide survey also revealed that (47 per cent) want to plant a shrub or tree rather than have traditional headstone (22 per cent) made. Other popular memorials were an obituary or notice in the paper (16 per cent) and a plaque in a memorial garden (15 per cent).

Richard Evans, Managing Director of Westerleigh plc, said the emphasis at many funerals today is increasingly placed on celebrating life rather than prayers for the soul of the departed.

He said: "As a crematorium operator, we have to cater not only for all faiths but also for an increasing range of styles of service.

"This research gives us a glimpse of how much more flexible we will have to be in the years ahead."

However, the survey, which was was carried out online using a sample of 1,792 adults, also revealed that 63 per cent, or nearly two out of three of British adults, have not yet told members of their close family how they would like to be remembered.

Where they do not say, they tend to receive a standard religious funeral service.